An Interesting Deer Hunt

Published: December - 1998

Now here's an interesting deer hunt. It takes place on a farm in Virginia that has an overabundance of deer and that blocks access to a huge expanse of National Forest. Plus, it costs only $200 a day ($600 for three days). Correspondent Bob Gooch has all the details: "I just learned of a whitetail deer operation called Beaver Dam Falls in Alleghany County, Virginia, that just this year started offering three-day, semi-guided hunts for only $600. The hunts take place on a 250-acre farm that has an overabundance of deer, at least in part because the property is adjacent to a 1,000-acre portion of George Washington National Forest that simply cannot be accessed except through the farm because of a high mountain ridge. The deer overpopulation problem is so bad, say Beaver Dam Falls' owners, Barry and Kathleen Goodwin, they cannot harvest an alfalfa crop before the deer eat it all.

Because of this depredation, for the past few years the Goodwins have received an unlimited number of doe-only damage control assessment permits. To get some help with the deer, this year the Goodwins decided to allow up to 12 hunters onto the property during a portion of the general firearms season, which ran from November 16 to 28, and offer them the opportunity to take one buck and one doe for $600. They ended up booking a total of five people. Two hunted from November 16 to 18, taking a six-point buck, a button buck and a doe. Three people hunted from November 19 to 21, taking one buck that Barry Goodwin says the hunter reported as good, but which he personally did not see, and one doe. The remaining hunt dates of November 23 to 25 went unbooked.

All hunting is conducted from stands, with clients on their stands well before dawn, hunting until approximately 9 a.m., coming in for breakfast and a nap, then going back out to the stands in mid-afternoon to remain until the end of legal hunting time a half hour after sunset. The Goodwins plan to offer this hunt again........(continued)